STAFF SPOTLIGHt

Staff Spotlight with Brian Geimer

In each issue, the FOCUS Newsletter spotlights an ABA staff member whose work deserves mention. Recently, our spotlight explores ideas around "redefinition," asking how staff professionals have grown in their careers while working in ABA, and what "redefine the possible," Sac State's tagline, means to them.

Name: Brian Geimer             

Position: Supervisor

ABA Department/Unit: 
Reprographics and Mail Services

How long have you been with Sac State?
I am in my 8th year

What are some examples of your daily duties?
As supervisor I oversee production of printed collateral that departments across campus request. I am one of the liaisons to the campus community, developing personal relationships with our clients across campus. We have four sub-departments, if you will: Digital Color Press, Digital Copiers, Bindery and Digital printers, which includes wide format printing. I manage production for all of that equipment and the people who operate them. Many days, I help in production, running equipment, when I need to assist in getting finished product out to our customers. Some days I’m the bus driver, some days I change the flat tires. What we do in Reprographics would not be possible without the total collaborative effort that our team puts forth daily.

What have you done to promote positive change in your unit’s processes since your appointment? 
Each day's goal is to have a positive attitude and share that with my co-workers in an attempt to keep them motivated while under the pressure of increasingly short deadlines. I have also played a role in selecting equipment, re-organizing the shop, and continually reviewing how and why we do the things we do. This allows us to continue to streamline our production. As of this writing, we currently have 167 orders in various stages of production. It takes specialized equipment and great people to be able to do what we do. I cannot show them my appreciation enough.

How has your job influenced your professional growth?
When I started here nearly eight years ago, I had never worked for an institution or state agency of this nature. I had worked in various print shops, honing my craft along the way. I think you could say I was a bit un-polished at that time. The professional development training I’ve received has allowed me to increase the level of professionalism I demonstrate with customers and co-workers. This has helped not only in my work here at Sac State, but with those in my personal life as well.

What certifications do you hold? What does it take to become certified, and how do you feel these qualifications benefit the campus?
I currently hold three certifications from Hewlett-Packard. All are related to our HP Indigo Digital Press.
*HP 5500 Operator
*HP 5500 Shared Maintenance
*HP Front End Tools (how we get our customers’ files to the press for proper output)

I am also certified through the United States Postal Service as a Mail Design Professional.

The three HP courses were held at HP sites around the U.S. Having these certifications insures that Reprographics can produce the necessary work on our HP Indigo and remain compliant with the service and warranty requirements of HP. The mail design professional certification is important, especially now that postal regulations seem to change every year. There are certain regulations, that if not followed properly, could result in mail not being processed at the post office or costing the University more in postage.

Reprographics works very closely with Mail Services for many of the mailing projects that are sent out to students, parents, or alumni, and each of those mailings are different. Keeping the University’s mail compliant with the USPS Domestic Mail Manual is at times harder than reading the tax code! I think it is important to note that I am not the only one certified in these areas for Reprographics and Mail Services. There is at least one other person certified in each of the categories above. We have built-in certification redundancies so we can best serve the needs of the campus.

Who are your primary customers?
The colleges and departments of the University and its auxiliaries are our customers - CCE, UEI, Theatre Arts, Engineering, Nursing, Athletics - to name a few, however, I think we have done at least one project for nearly every department on campus. We are happy to assist with any project, large or small.

What are your biggest, yet most rewarding challenges?
The challenges we face daily are meeting production needs for seemingly impossible deadlines, and continuing to grow to meet those ever increasing demands.

What do you like best about your job?
Besides interacting with the great people across this campus, the daily challenge. It is different every day and that’s what keeps it interesting. One day it might be the Admissions packets that we print and send out. The next day, course binders for one of CCE’s Conference and Training groups, or a last minute 30 foot banner thanking the basketball teams for a great season. I also like how we have been able to help the design students with their projects. Working in an in-plant as we do, we typically see University branded materials. For two to three weeks each semester, we work on projects for the graphic and interior designers of the future, and it is great to see the fresh ideas Sac State Students create.

What is your favorite aspect of working on campus?
The relationships I have been able to cultivate - there are some really great people on this campus.

Why and how would someone contact you?
They would contact me if needed some printed product. That’s a wide gamut - business cards, brochures, booklets, programs, posters, banners - it is nearly limitless.

 
I can be contacted by email or phone. Probably better by email, since I might not always be sitting in my chair!
reprographics@csus.edu
278-6198 (main line)
278-2982 (direct)

What does Sac State’s "Redefine the Possible" initiative mean to you?
In its simplest form, it means to expand what your perception of possible can be, how far can you really reach, how high you can go? With the increased demands on the printing industry in general - shorter production times, higher quality, more color - I like to think that we in Reprographics redefine what is possible every day.